April 27, 2012 / Modified apr 27, 2012 5:31 p.m.

Brewer, Legislators Announce Budget Deal

$200M added to K-12 education, savings to avert fiscal crisis, they say

Gov. Jan Brewer and legislative leaders issued a joint statement late Friday afternoon announcing they had reached agreement on a state budget for 2012-13.

“Today, we can proudly announce that we have reached agreement on an FY 2013 state budget plan that enjoys our full support," the statement began.

The statement came from Brewer, Senate President Steve Pierce and House Speaker Andy Tobin, all Republicans.

The agreement means savings for potential fiscal issues in the next two years, including possible implementation of the U.S. Affordable Care Act, the statement said.

It also said that the package "addresses those services that are vital to citizens and central to Arizona’s ability to compete around the world for jobs and investment: education, public safety and health and human services."

The state will spend $200 million more for K-12 public education than in the current budget, the statement said. It added that more correctional officers will be hired, and a special investigative unit will be created for Child Protective Services.

Brewer and the GOP leadership of the Legislature had been at odds for three months over revenue forecasting and spending vs. saving. The governor wanted more for education, welfare programs and prisons, while legislators wanted to save as much as possible of the state's revenue surplus.

Details of the budget are expected to trickle out in the next few days.

The Senate could vote on the budget as early as Monday and the House the following day, allowing the Legislature to complete work on non-budget bills and adjourn the regular session later in the week.

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